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Beckham partner 'fears' Miami stadium deal won't get done

David Beckham's business partner Tim Leiweke says he fears that a stadium deal in Miami won't get done. 

Beckham is part of an ownership group looking to secure a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, a goal that has thus far proven elusive. 

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MLS commissioner Don Garber has insisted that Beckham's group must have a viable stadium plan in place before the league awards Miami an expansion franchise. 

Beckham appeared to make a breakthrough in June, winning a court battle to purchase the land for a 25,000-sea stadium, with Miami-Dade County sanctioning a $9 million deal.

However, speaking to the Toronto Sun, Leiweke, who has been serving as the Beckham group's chief negotiator, expressed his concerns about a deal that is still not over the finish line. 

“I hope it gets done, but it’s not done,” Leiweke said. “I have my fears as to whether it’s going to get done, because things like this drag on this long that’s always tough on a process. But for David I hope he lands somewhere.”

Leiweke joined Beckham's investment group in 2015, one year after the former LA Galaxy star announced he was taking up a $25 million option to buy an expansion team, which was included in his original MLS contact. 

“It would be unfortunate for the league to not honor the job he [Beckham] did and the decision he made,” Leiweke added. “His best work would still be ahead of us if we could figure out a way to get him involved with a franchise.

“But our company has a lot of different projects. I haven’t spent a lot of time on Miami lately so I’m not sure if that gets done. I hope it does for David’s sake.”

The current stadium site is the Beckham group's fourth attempt at securing a venue for the potential team, after failing to seal a deal at three previous locations.

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